Some of you are probably thinking, “She must be crazy!” Others are probably thinking, “I’ve never heard of that magazine. I’d pose without makeup too for It Doesn’t Exist-olitan.” But the point is, she did it. And since it has Beyonce on the cover I have a feeling this magazine will become known. You know what they say. If you Bey it, they will come.

And yet, there is many a celebrity who would not be caught dead without makeup on. And while I understand that, I don’t feel sorry for them.

I mean, I get it. You get in this habit of putting on makeup just to go outside because paparazzi is everywhere. And then when you have a night event, you put on more makeup to make it an “evening look.” But then the next day, you think to yourself, “I really liked that cat eye last night.” So now that once only-for-night cat eye becomes a day look. (I like to call this transition “Rabies-ing” your makeup, because what was once nocturnal is now prowling around in the light of day.) You see where this is going. Six months down the road you can’t imagine breakfast in bed without false eyelashes and a blood-red lip.

And then who have you become? A mere base for sculpting on. Your face is the shoebox you then make the diorama out of. You have lost your sense of self, and also probably your sense of smell because that’s a lot of product to put on your face.

But take it from Bey. Embracing a natural look can be gorgeous and empowering. Yes, she’s lucky. Her natural look includes incredible cheekbones, gorgeous eyes and a pillow-like pout. I guess it’s easy to walk around with that going on every day. But it’s about more than that. It’s about saying “This is what I look like and I don’t have to hide it.”

I’ll be honest. I just caught a glimpse of myself without makeup in the mirror. I checked the mirror to make sure it was really a mirror and not an old Van Gogh I had hanging up of a haggard woman in a cute top. It was in fact a mirror, and that was not a fun discovery.

But part of me thinks we need to train ourselves to make it fun. Surprise your friends by going without eyeliner. Okay I know that’s scary. Start by skipping the blush maybe?

Little by little maybe we’ll all take a page from Beyonce’s book (which is probably made of all gold, so that will be both valuable and pretty heavy) and we’ll start showing what we’ve got. Just as we’ve got it. No additives, no preservatives.

And I’m not saying every day. You got a date? Put on that mascara for eye-batting purposes. Getting your passport photo? Go ahead with your eye-concealer self.

But maybe when you’re doing something that’s not in any way about your looks – you’re visiting your Grandmother, or you’re working hard on a project you love, how about then you just be you and not a “better” version. You might find that the “better” version is actually the fresh-faced one that doesn’t care what she looks like on the outside.

Deal? Great. You first. No, you. No, you. I insist. No absolutely. I’m still deciding what I want to order anyway. Oh, right, we’re not at a restaurant. Well, clearly I’m confused. You should go first.